As the saying goes, slow and steady wins the race. The phrase ‘slow and steady’ is often thrown around in football, but Sonia Bompastor has already won a few races since joining Chelsea Women and has taken the time to implement her own style of play.
Any attempt to immediately change the squad and culture that her predecessor, Emma Hayes, had successfully cultivated over 12 years could have ended in disaster.
Instead, Bompastor was patient and molded the team in his own image. For example, she began using a back three, moving away from the back four she had previously deployed as Chelsea won the domestic treble at the end of last season.
While Hayes was renowned for his tactical fluidity, Bompastor favors a back three in his football philosophy and has continued this this season. That’s something she was looking to introduce when she arrived at Chelsea last summer, having already been productive at both ends of the pitch.
Ahead of Saturday’s WSL clash with Arsenal Women, Bompastor exclusively said: sky sports: “It was planned from the beginning. This is part of who I am as a manager, my philosophy and my vision.
“I had to make sure the players agreed with that and that took time. People think it could be easy, but it’s not. We don’t always speak the same language and we have people from different countries so sometimes it can be difficult.
“You have to make sure everyone understands the same thing, and if you think about it, getting 11 players to understand the same thing at the same moment is a huge challenge.
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Highlights of the Women’s Super League match between Chelsea and London City Lionesses
“So it takes a lot of work in training sessions, it also takes a lot of videos for the players to understand what we are trying to achieve. The players are smart, they understand what we are trying to achieve and so they contribute to that.
“We may not be where I want to be yet and we may never be, because again, it’s really difficult, but I’m very happy with what we’ve achieved so far.
“The mentality of this team is great. What we do on the pitch is to always find a way to win.
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“Sometimes people say a lot about the way we play, but when you analyze the games and look at the statistics, most of the time we have the advantage in many ways.
“As much as people want us to have the ball most of the time and most of the time, we always try to be in control and be dominant.
“The most important thing in football is to be efficient and cool-headed, so I’m happy if we can do that.”
This applies to both ends of the pitch. Chelsea have conceded just three goals, the fewest in the WSL this season and are yet to lose in the league. In fact, they have never lost a domestic game under Bompastor.
If the Blues don’t lose at the Emirates, they will match their WSL record of 33 games unbeaten. But Bompastor is not interested in this streak.
“I think this undefeated run is more suitable for media commentary,” she recalled. “It’s a new season and we start from zero. We haven’t done anything yet in the league other than winning important games.
“That’s why we don’t focus on that as a team or as a coach. Every game is important. We take it from game to game and that’s the most important thing for us.”
The trip to Arsenal again sees Eli Carpenter and Lucy Bronze lined up on Chelsea’s right-hand side. When the Australian signed in the summer, there were questions about how the pair would be used together.
However, the pair played together for the first time and achieved a good result in Saturday’s 2-0 win over London City Lionesses. Carpenter even scored Chelsea’s first goal.
“Lucy and Ellie are two great athletes,” Bompastor said of her right pair. “When two people perform together, I don’t want them to have to choose between the two.
“Maybe in the future we will have to do that, depending on how we play the back three or the back four, but at the same time it would be great if they both work well together and feel like they can play together.
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Ellie Carpenter opened the scoring for Chelsea against the London City Lionesses after just five minutes.
“They both have a lot of experience at international level. They have different profiles and different qualities. Playing together gives the team a lot of strength. They know how to defend and how to attack together, which is a huge boost for us.”
Having two standout players vying for a similar starting spot further highlights the depth that Bompastor has at his disposal. Her matchday squad is full of international experience and multi-trophy winners.
This season Chelsea have eight WSL goalscorers and have made the most changes to their starting XI (18) to compete well-rounded once again.
“It’s really important,” Bompastor said of his squad. “As Chelsea manager you have to rotate your squad and there is a lot of quality and depth.
“You need to strike the right balance so that people feel part of the success, which is why it’s so important as a manager to give everyone the opportunity to perform and participate.
“When you have to play every three days, three times a week, it’s really important to have fresh legs. If you don’t have depth, it’s really difficult to achieve your ambitions.”
Rotation is key, but one player who has been a stalwart of the Chelsea XI over the years is Millie Bright. If she plays against Arsenal she will equal Jordan Nobbs’ WSL record of 210 appearances.
The match against Liverpool continues next Sunday. sky sports, The Blues captain could surpass her former England team-mate and make history.
“It shows how well she has been playing at the highest level for a long time,” Bompastor said of her defender. “She has been a part of this club for a long time, part of the foundation and foundation and has already brought a lot to this club.
“When I was manager at Lyon, I was always impressed by Millie’s presence on the pitch, but when she joined Chelsea I was even more impressed because she was not only a good player but also a good person.”
“It’s really important to me to have the opportunity to work with great players on and off the pitch. She demonstrates good values every day and sets an example for others. It’s lovely to work with someone with that mindset.
“Every time we talk she always starts saying, ‘I want to see if I can play at the weekend’ or even when we play every three days. Football is everything to her and I think she gives everything for it.
“I am really excited to appoint her as team captain and to have her join our team. This is a great achievement for her and well deserved as she puts in so much effort every day.”
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